Device for trimming the backs of slugs in line composing and casting machines



Nov. 25, 1958 K. DEBUS 2,361,678

- DEVICE FOR TRIMMING THE BACKS OF SLUGS IN LINE COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invzn for Karl .DEBUS.

K. DEBUS 2,861,678 DEVICE FOR TRIMMING THE BACKS OF SLUGS IN LINE COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES Nov. 25, 1958 Filed June 17, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

Invenlon Karl DEBUS Nov. 25, 1958 K. DEBUS 2,361,678

DEVICE FOR TRIMMING THE BACKS 0F SLUGS IN LINE COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 r S O u m w e m t W M wm h N mm R Q QN Q m 8 mm mm. 3 v mm mm "m a M 01 |H I. R R. IMW LHIMH WI} m m v HHHM 1 .MN wvllllnm v m y Q# .n\\\ w v \AIJ 7 um m a Nov. 25, 1958 K. DEBUS 2,861,678

DEVICE FOR TRIMMING THE BACKS OF SLUGS IN LINE COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lnvenl'o r- Kal l DEB us United States Patent DEVICE FOR TRHVIMING THE BACKS 0F SLUGS IN LINE COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES Karl Debus, Bad Hamburg vor der Hohe, Germany, assiguor to Linotype Gesellschaft mit bescllraukter Haftung, Berlin-Tempelhof, Germany Application June 17, 1955, Serial No. 516,260

Claims priority, application Germany February 21, 1955 8 Claims. (Cl. 199-59) This invention rel-ates to a device for trimming the backs of slugs in a line composing and casting machine.

' Hitherto a back-knife, rigidly secured to the mouldwheel slide of the machine has been used for trimming the backs of cast slugs still in the mould. Such a backknife necessitates an exceptionally accurate location of the mould-wheel carrying the mould in relation to the slide carrying the knife, and in addition it is necessary to locate the individual moulds accurately in the mould wheel in relation to the mould-wheel slide and hence to the knife, so as to ensure that all the slugs are trimmed to an exact height over their whole length. This object, namely the accurate height to paper of the slug, is also diflicult to achieve because working tolerances occur both in the mould wheel and in the individual moulds.

Since, in order to ensure the unimpeded running of the mould wheel, the back-knife has to be adjusted to the mould which projects the furthest, the disadvantage arises that the height to paper of the slugs varies according to the position of the mould. It is the object of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage. Even difierences of only 0.02 mm. in height have a very marring effect when the slugs are printed in the printing machine and necessitate a considerable amount of work because these differences in height have to be compensated for by subsequent hand trimming.

In order to illustrate the causes leading to the differences in height, attention is drawn to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings in which A, B, C and D represent diagrammatically the moulds in a mould wheel F, shown in development. The moulds project to different extents a, b, c and d respectively beyond the rear surface E of the mould wheel F, resulting from the working tolerances. From the mould D, for example, there projects the burr D' of the slug to be trimmed. The mould wheel is conveyed in the direction of the arrow H past the cutting tool G which is rigidly but adjustably mounted on the mould-wheel slide (not illustrated). The cutting edge 1 is set in such a manner that the mould which projects the furthest, in the example illustrated, D, slides past the cutting edge with its free rear surface in full contact. The other moulds, which do not project so far, are not touched by the edge of the knife as the mould wheel F runs past. For the reasons already stated, the distances between the free end faces of these moulds and the edge of the knife vary and as a result the slugs cast-in these moulds also vary in height.

According to the invention, all the disadvantages described above are obviated very simply in that the distance between the cutting edge of the tool and the moulds is controlled'according to the relative movement of said moulds past the tool.

The cutting tool, for example a knife mounted on the mould-whee] slide, and mould are preferably guided in constant contact with one another, at least for the duration of the trimming process; in this case, the distance between the cutting edge of the tool and the mould is always nil.

ICC

As a result of this positive guiding, which may be determined by rigid or resilient means, all the inaccuracies mentioned become ineffective, because the cutting tool and the mould guide each other mutually. Resilient guiding, for example by spring-loaded guiding of the cutting tool and/ or of the mould wheel, has the further advantage that the basic setting of the cutting tool in relation to the mould or moulds does not have to be particularly accurate, whereas with the cutting tools hitherto used, which are rigidly connected to the mould-wheel slide, an extremely accurate and tedious adjustment is always necessary.

The correct distance between the cutting tool and the mould can be regulated by means of electric fields produced between the two,.for example by means of a catpacitor field. If the cutting tool is made of a material which is a poor conductor such as metal carbides, the tool is additionally provided, if necessary, with metal inserts or coatings which act as counter-electrodes to the metal mould.

The correct distance between the cutting tool and the mould may also be regulated by optical and electrical means such as selenium cells and by means of light-slit measurement. 7 v

The correct distance between the cutting tool and the mould may further be regulated by means of mechanical calipers, feelers or the like, which may be mounted on the tool-holder to trail over the moulds.

For the positive mutual guiding of the cutting tool and the mould determined by rigid means, particularly simple construction is obtained if the cutting tool is mounted on a rigid holder which straddles the rim of the mould wheel and which is guided in constant contact with the mould from the front face thereof, remote from the cutting tool.

-In this construction the cutting pressure, which may vary with the thickness of the cut, has no effect.

The mutual guiding between the cutting tool and the mould in accordance with the invention is preferably controllable in such a manner that it is only effective in the region of the mould engaged in the casting process at the time. Consequently wear on the cutting tool and the mould only occurs during this operation and is thereby restricted to the minimum. Such control also permits the cutting tool to be always placed gently against the surface of the mould which is in the working position.

The positive connection may be effected in various ways. For example it may be efiected by the suitable shaping and/or material nature of the cutting tool. The usual back-trimming knife may be made longer and thinner for this purpose, so as to provide a certain inherent elasticity in the knife. Instead of such a knife, it is possible to use a resilient blade which is clamped in a holder or secured thereto.

The positive connection between the cutting tool and the mould may also be effected, however, by the cutting tool and/or its holder being able'to movably give way or yield against the action of restoring forces, provided for example by springs. The springs may consist of resilient metal, rubber or the like. Hydraulic means, compressed air means or magnetic means, particularly electro magnetic means, may also be used in addition to or instead of such springs.

The cutting tool may be mounted in known manner on the mould-wheel slide. Preferably, however, the cutting tool is not mounted on the slide connected to the mould wheel but on the actual machine frame, as a result of which it becomes freely accessible when the slide, together with the mould wheel, has been withdrawn from the machine.

The cutting tool may be mounted in a movable holder in the manner of a lever which is preferably adjustable and'loaded by a spring which urges the cutting edge of the tool against the mould wheel. As a result of this, a particularly simple and reliable mounting and guiding of the tool is possible.

The positive contact between the cutting tool and the moulds may be effected from the mould wheel and/ or its moulds. In this case, the cutting tool may be rigidly mounted, though it may likewise be subject to a contacting force within the meaning of the invention.

When the mould wheel and/or moulds are subject to positive contact, these may conveniently be brought towards the cutting tool by resilient means.

For example the arrangement may be such that the mould wheel is mounted on its journal with axial play, while the positive contact effect is exerted on the wheel, for example on its rim and as close as possible and symmetrically to the attacking zone of the cutting tool. This construction has the advantage that ordinary parts; of the wheel can be utilized with comparatively simple means, and a machine can also, if necessary be fitted with a device according to the invention subsequently.

The positive action on the mould wheel may also be effected on its hub. This permits such a closed construction that the penetration of molten lead, swarf and the like into the hub guides is prevented.

When the cutting tool is mounted outside the mouldwheel slide, for example on the actual machine frame, the positive contact between the cutting tool and the mould may be conveniently effected via the mould wheel,

the mould-wheel journal and the mould-wheel slide. In this case a mechanical connection, which exists in any case between the mould wheel and the mould-wheel slide, and their joint movability, are utilized.

The control: of the cutting tool may conveniently be derived from the mainshaft of the machine carrying the various control cams. In this case it is an advantage for the control impulse to be taken directly from the timing or mainshaft of the machine without the interposition of transmission orreduction gears.

It is also possible, however, to derive the control of the cutting tool frornanother shaft on the machine, for example from the driving shaft for the mould wheel. Thisshaft is in the immediate vicinity of the mould wheel and the cutting tool so that transmission members can be comparatively small.

In a practical embodiment of this control, the mouldwheel shaft may, either through a cam mounted on itself, or, if'a transmission gear is. interposed, through" a cam mounted on the driven shaft of said gear, move a foll'owerroller which runs on the cam and establishes or. interrupts the.positive contact between the cutting tool and themould, via a lever, a linkage or the like. This construction is very simple and reliable in operation and damaged or worn parts can easily be replaced.

The above-mentioned control means may be actuated by driving components of the machine which do not participate in the movement when the mould wheel is displaced. If the control impulses are derived from the mainshaftvof the machine, as suggested above, thenthe important advantage is obtained that, when the mould wheel is displaced for the purpose of bringing another mould into the working position, no displacement of the control members for the cutting tool is necessary, as would otherwise be the case.

The control means, for example control cams, intended for thecutting tool may be mounted on the mould wheel. This construction has the advantage that thecontrol means may be made very simple, beingcombined directly with the mould wheel so that intermediate driving means are omitted.

T The control cams may be rigidly mounted on or made integrally with the mould wheel, or mayibemounted for adjustm n hemquld- Wh n. wh ch casethey are preferably constructed so that they can be provided on an adjustable ring against which a roller rigidly connected to the holder of the cutting tool runs, which roller establishes or discontinues the working position of the cutting tool. One advantage of such an adjustable cam is that it can be fitted to any desired mould, i. e. only this mould is considered in the course of the operation.

Several embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to Figures 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 2 shows diagrammatically, partially in section, part of the mould wheel, the cutting tool, a linkage acting thereon, a transmission member acting on the linkage and a cam on the main driving shaft of the machine to operate this transmission member;

Figure 3 shows, partly in section, the mould wheel, the cutting tool, a lever acting on the tool-holder and a cam for moving the lever, the cam being turned by the mould-wheel shaft via an intermediate gear, and

Figure 4 shows, partly in section, an elevation of the mould wheel, the cutting tool and holder and a camring on the mould wheel controlling the position of the tool.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, according to which the control of the cutting tool is derived from the mainshaft of the machine, the cutting edge 4 of the tool or knife 5 rests against the rear face 3 of the mould 2. The knife is fixed to a holder 12 by means of screws 6 and is rockable therewith about apivot 13 on the main frame of the machine, indicated diagrammatically at 14. The holder 12, is subject to the action of a tension spring 15 and at the same time is connected by means of a linkage 16 to a single-armed lever 17 mounted on the frame 14 of the machine by means of a pivot 18. A roller 19 is rotatably mounted at the free end. of the lever 17 and runs against a cam-20 which is fixed to the mainshaft 21 of the machine. The cam face 22 which is in the form of an arc serves, via the roller 19, the lever 17 the linkage 16 and the holder 12, to remove the tool 5 from-the mould or moulds when not in the working position; accordingly, the cam face 22 has a periphery of about 270 in the example illustrated.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the mould wheel 1 has mounted in it the mould 2 which is in the working position and against the back 3 of which the cutting edge 4 of the knife 5 rests. The knife 5 is carried by a rockable holder 12 and is accurately adjustable in the longitudinal direction by meansof a micrometer screw 23. The retaining screws 6 serve to connect the knife 5 rigidly to the holder 12, being located in known manner by means o-f'aslot in the knife and screwed into a' female thread in the holder 12.

The holder 12 is rockable about the pivot 13 which is journalled in the mould-wheel slide 24 and has an extension 25 which is loaded, viaa thrust-bolt 26 by a spring 27 mounted in a bore 28 in a lever 29.

Opposite the thrust-bolt 26 is a set-screw 30 which presses against the extension 25 of the holder 12 engaged by the thrust bolt 26 when the cutting edge 4 of the knife 5 is to be removed from contact with the mould 2. The. set-screw 30 is screwed into the extension 31 of one arm of the double-armed lever 29 and is located by means of a lock nut 32.

The double-armed lever- 29 is rotatable about a bolt 33 journalled' in the mould-wheel slide 24. The other end 34 of the lever 29 carries a roller 35 which rolls against a cam 36 and is maintained in contact with the cam 36 by means of a tension spring 37 via a hook 38 mounted on the lever 29. The tension spring 37 is anchored to the mould-wheel slide in a manner not illustrated; The cam 36 rotates about a journal 39 mounted in a bracket 40 which is rigidly mounted on the machine frame 14. Also mounted on the journal 39 andrigidly coupled to thecam 36 is a spiral gearwhecl 41 driven by a spiral g'earwheel 42 which is illustrated in broken .lines and which in turn is mounted on and keyed to the. driving shaft 43 of the mould wheel 1.

In the space between the bearing 44 of the mould-wheel driving shaft 43 and the mould-wheel 1' is a clutch (not illustrated) which connects the driving shaft 43 to a pinion (not illustrated) which engages in the toothed rim of the mould Wheel 1.

The mechanism works as follows:

When the driving shaft 43 is rotated, the mould wheel 1, and with it the mould 2 which is to come into the working position, rotates via the clutch and pinion. The cutting edge 4 of the knife rests against the mould 2 under the pressure of the spring 27, though the extension 25 does not touch the setscrew 30. The cutting edge 4 of the knife trims the back of the slug which happens to be in the mould. During the cooperation of the cutting edge 4 with the mould 2 or the back of the cast slug, the roller 35 runs over the radially projecting portion of the cam 36 as illustrated.

The peripheral length. of this projecting portion corresponds to the length of the mould. The projection portion of the cam 36 may conveniently be relatively somewhat shorter peripherally than the length of the mould 2 but longer than the slug in it which is to be trimmed, whereby the knife comes to rest on the mould after the passing of the oncoming edge of the mould but before the approach of the slug which is in the mould.

In a modified embodiment shown in Figure 4, the parts 1 to 6, l2. 13, 23 and 24 are the same as in Figure 3. Mounted on the bolt 13 in this embodiment, and rigidly coupled to the knife-holder 12, is a single-armed lever 45 which is shown in broken lines and which carries on its end a roller 46 which is likewise shown in broken lines and which runs over a face cam ring 47 on the side of the mould-wheel facing the knife 5.

The holder 12 and'hence the lever 45 are loaded by a tension spring 48 which is anchored on the mould-wheel slide 24.

The cam ring 47 can be adjusted peripherally and is secured in a given position, for example by means of clamping screws. The setting is effected in such a manner that the recess 49 in the cam ring 47 is adapted to the mould 2 which is in the working position in such a manner that the cutting edge of the knife rests against the mould immediately before the commencement of its cutting action, then trims the slug, after which it is again raised and remains in the raised position while the mould is not in the working position.

I claim:

1. A line composing and casting machine comprising a rotatable mould wheel, said wheel being adapted to receive a plurality of moulds in which slugs are cast; a movably mounted knife located adjacent the rear face of the mould wheel for trimming the foot of the slugs while said slugs are still in their moulds, resilient means biasing the knife in the direction of the rear face of the mould wheel to engage the rear face of the mould facing said knife to trim the slug foot parts protruding above said rear face of the mould precisely flush with said rear face while being in its pressed-on condition; and mechanical means driven in time relation with the mould wheel restraining the movement of said knife toward the mould until the mould is positioned beneath the cutting edge of the knife and for moving the knife away from the mould when the mould has passed the cutting edge of the knife.

2. A machine as in claim 1, comprising a frame and slide on said frame mounting said mould wheel for axial movement on said slide, said mechanical means controlling the movement of the knife comprising a linkage mounted separately from said mould wheel slide.

3. A machine as in claim 1, having a main shaft making one revolution per operation and a cam on said shaft,- and a linkage connecting said shaft to said device, wherein the movement of the tool toward and away from the mould is derived from said main shaft by means of said linkage.

4. A machine as in claim 1, having a drive shaft carrying said mould wheel, a linkage connecting said shaft to said tool, and a reducing gear, wherein the movement of said tool toward and away from the mould is derived from said drive shaft by means of said reducing gear.

5. A line composing and casting machine comprising a frame, a mould wheel rotatably mounted in said frame, a plurality of moulds on said mould wheel in which slugs are cast, a device for trimming the backs of the cast slugs while said slugs are still in their moulds, comprising a tool mounted in said machine and adapted to cut off the protruding cast backs, mechanical means for so guiding and controlling the movement of said tool that the cutting edge of said tool is in constant contact with a predetermined pressure with the rear faces of said moulds within the area wherein the trimming operation is performed, a linkage comprised in said guiding and controlling means, a tool holder holding said tool, a lever of said linkage having a bore therein and adapted to actuate said tool holder, a thrust bolt slidable in said bore, and projecting from the lever towards said tool holder to engage said tool holder, to thereby cause said holder to pivot about its mounting in a direction to maintain the cutting edge of the tool in operative relationship with said faces of the moulds during their passage past the tool, and a spring acting in said bore to maintain said thrust bolt in itsengaging position.

6. A machine as in claim 3, wherein an adjustable stop is provided on the lever to cause the tool holder to pivot about its mounting in a direction opposite to that caused by the thrust bolt to retract the cutting edge of the tool from operative relationship with the said mould faces.

7. A line composing and casting machine comprising a frame, a slide on said frame, a mould wheel rotatably mounted on said slide, a shaft journalled in said frame for driving said mould wheel, a plurality of moulds in which slugs are cast rigidly connected around the rim of said mould wheel, a tool having a cutting edge for trimming the backs of the cast slugs, a holder for said tool pivotally mounted on said slide, a cam driven by the mould wheel driving shaft, a lever pivoted on the mould wheel slide, follower means on said lever resiliently urged against said cam and means on said lever acting on the tool holder to urge the cutting edge of the tool towards the faces of the moulds from which the backs of the cast slugs project, said cam controlling the setting of the tool holder by means of said lever to adjust the distance between the cutting edge of the tool and said mould faces according to the movement of the moulds past the tool, the means on the lever acting on the tool holder to urge the cutting edge of the tool towards the mould faces comprising a thrust bolt slidable in a bore in the lever and projecting from the lever towards the tool holder to cause said holder to pivot about its mounting in a direction to maintain the cutting edge of the tool in operative relationship with the said faces of the moulds during their passage past the tool, a spring acting in said bore to maintain the thrust bolt in its projecting position.

8. A machine as in claim 7, wherein an adjustable stop is provided on the lever to cause the tool holder to pivot about its mounting in a direction opposite to that caused by the thrust bolt to retract the cutting edge of the tool from operative relationship with the said mould faces according to the position of the controlling cam.

(References on following page) llgfeggnge s Cited in the ffle o f t his patent S TATE S P ATENTS Wich om. .2 1, 1902 Bates Mar. 10', 1903 Clark Mar. 22, 1904 Rogers Oct. 25, 1904 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 30, 1922 

